Cedar Crest College

Senior nurse anesthesia DNP students Daniel Byorick, Jr., BSN, RN, CCRN, SRNA; Anthony Hernandez, BSN, RN, CCRN, SRNA; J. Matthew Lohman, MBA, BSN, RN, CCRN, SRNA; and Hakeem Sanou, BSN, RN, CCRN, SRNA presented their DNP Project poster "Efficacy of a Multimedia Educational Module on Best Practices of Anesthesia Patient Safety" at the Virtual 33rd Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) Annual Scientific Sessions on March 25th. The theme this year was Generating Nursing Science to Meet the Needs of a Diverse Society. The DNP Project is an integral part of the academic experience at the Cedar Crest College School of Nursing, representing students' time and effort put forth to focus on evidence-based improvements on real-world health care challenges.

On March 26, forty-nine students are being inducted into Alpha Alpha Alpha, or Tri-Alpha, a national honor society for first-generation college students. The honor society was founded in 2018 at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Amber Rose '21, Cedar Crest College Master of Forensic Science candidate, presented a virtual oral presentation at the Pittcon Conference on March 8, 2021. The title of her presentation was "Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry of Eight Aminoindanes" and was the topic of her thesis research. Her thesis committee is Dr. Thomas Brettell, professor of chemistry, Cedar Crest College; Dr. Marianne Staretz, associate professor of chemistry, Cedar Crest College; and Dr. Monica Joshi, associate professor of chemistry, West Chester University. Dr. Matthew Wood, director of the Ocean County (NJ) Sherriff's Department Forensic Science Laboratory also contributed to the project. Pittcon is a dynamic, transnational exposition and comprehensive technical conference, a venue for presenting the latest advances in research and scientific instrumentation, and a platform for continuing education and career-enhancing opportunity.

Shay Escalera, a senior social work student and president of the Social Work club introduced the college today at the NASW-PA Advocacy Day, this annual advocacy event is attended by all the accredited schools of social work throughout Pennsylvania and represents the advocacy efforts of social work in the state. Social work students were able to meet remotely with Rep. Schlossberg as well.

Nikole Orlemann, a senior social work student intern with Adoptions from the Heart, and Dr. Chelsea Toth, Director of Field Education and Assistant Professor of Social Work, were guests on the 3/18/21 Heart to Heart Podcast. The podcast Season 2 Episode 3 "Reflecting on the Field of Social Work During COVID." The episode description highlighted social workers are essential, "in honor of March being National Social Work Month, we wanted to dive further into what it's like being an essential worker and how the field of social work has been affected by the pandemic." To listen to the podcast access the website https://anchor.fm/a-heart-to-heart-afth/episodes/S2--Ep3--Reflecting-on-the-Field-of-Social-Work-During-COVID-essf2s or search Heart to Heart podcast on Spotify.

Kiera Shellhammer '21, an environmental conservation major and political science minor, completed an internship with House Representative Susan Wild. She credits Dr. Christine Carpino, political science assistant professor and program director, with helping her find this opportunity and apply. While working in Rep. Wild's office, Kiera attended constituent meetings and helped prepare communications for the public.

The Cedar Crest College's Performing Arts Department presents: SPRING DANCES: We Rise and Fall Together A Virtual Premiere Event Saturday, April 17th at 7:00PM The cast includes: Tap Ensemble: Megan Fink, Sarah Krutsick, Ashlynn Auriemma, Cassondra Daveler, Reilly Mateljan, Olivia Miller (LCCC) Modern Ensemble: Arline Almeter, Ashlyn Auriemma, Brenna Desborough, Cassondra Daveler, Megan Fink, Cindy Lozada Bollywood Ensemble: Arline Almeter, Brenna Desborough, Ashlyn Auriemma Jazz Ensemble: Arline Almeter, Ashlyn Auriemma, Cassondra Daveler, Brenna Desborough, Megan Fink, Olivia Miller, Corinne Mundy Ballet Ensemble: Arline Almeter, Ashlyn Auriemma, Brenna Desborough, Madison Anusky, Megan Fink Hip Hop Ensemble: Arline Almeter, Ashlyn Auriemma, Brenna Desborough, Sarah Krutsick, Cindy Lozada, Katie Graham, Tracy Stanton (LCCC)

Jessica Haase, a senior nutrition student in the Didactic Program in Dietetics, has received the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (PAND) Diversity Scholarship. The annual scholarship is awarded to a dietetics student with a diverse background, traditionally underrepresented in the field of dietetics, who demonstrates a commitment to the dietetics profession and exhibits leadership qualities as evidenced by volunteer activities in community organizations, campus activities or other organizations.

The 2021 Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) took place virtually this past weekend (March 5- 6). Brice Gardner '21 presented two research projects that she has been conducting at Cedar Crest under the direction of Dr. Kerrie Baker, professor of psychology, in an e-poster video format. A 3-minute video presentation of her first poster entitled COVID-19 Policies and Their Influence on Students' Educational Decisions and a 3-minute video presentation of her second poster entitled Examining the Formality of Email Communications Between Students and Professors were made available for viewing as part of the annual conference. While virtual this year, this conference continued EPA's tradition of offering lectures, symposia and posters to present new developments in psychological science, application and teaching.

The 2021 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science took place virtually the week of February 8. Kimberly Hane '21 presented research that she has been conducting at Cedar Crest under the direction of Dr. K. Joy Karnas, professor of biology, in an e-poster video format. A 3-minute video presentation of her poster entitled qPCR and Microbe Identification for Forensic Blood Pattern Analysis was made available for viewing as part of the annual conference. In addition, her presentation was part of the 2021 AAAS Student E-Poster Competition and reviewed by a panel of judges who selected her as one of the finalists in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology category. Before the meeting, Kim met virtually with the judging panel and gave a 5-minute overview of her work and participated in a Q&A regarding her study. This Zoom Meeting was recorded and broadcast at the annual conference for all participants to view. Kim was awarded the second-place undergraduate student prize in her e-poster category. She will be recognized in an ad in an upcoming issue of the journal Science and on the Annual Meeting website at http://meetings.aaas.org/.

Biology major Courtney Zimmerman '22 and recent graduate Mercy Melo '21 were authors (with Dr. Allison Cornell, Penn State - Altoona and Dr. J.-F. Therrien, Hawk Mountain) on a research article published in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology. The paper "Nestling physiology is independent of somatic development in a common raptor, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius)" documents individual variation in chick development, particularly for physiological traits. Courtney and Mercy both contributed to data collection in the field, lab work, preliminary data analysis and writing of the paper.

Delphi is the college's honor society for undergraduate students. Students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.8 at the end of their junior year or their senior year are recognized as members.

Congratulations to the following students for making the Dean's List for the fall 2020 semester. The Dean's List recognizes students who have earned a grade point average of 3.65 or higher in the academic semester.

Fame is a stage musical based on the 1980 musical film of the same name. It has been staged under two titles; The first, Fame - The Musical conceived and developed by David De Silva, is a musical with a book by Jose Fernandez, music by Steve Margoshes, and lyrics by Jacques Levy. The musical premiered in 1988 in Miami, Florida. The second was as Fame on 42nd Street, where it was performed Off-Broadway at the Little Shubert Theatre on 42nd Street from 2003 to 2004. A group of vibrant, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, energetic young people gathers to audition to study at New York City's High School of Performing Arts. (Wikipedia)

Ashley Wilkins '21 presented a poster at the Tiny Earth Winter Symposium virtual conference on December 14, 2020. The poster entitled "Finding Novel Antibiotics Under Our Feet" was authored by Ashley Wilkins, Mercedes Melo '21, Emily Bianchini '20 and Jennifer Hayden, PhD, assistant professor of biology. Wilkins presented a long-term project initiated by Bianchini in BIO 227 Microbiology in the fall of 2018, continued by Wilkins as an independent research project and further pursued by Wilkins and Melo in BIO 227 in the fall of 2020. Tiny Earth is a network of instructors and students focused on discovering novel antibiotics in the soil, and this winter's online symposium was attended by Tiny Earth partners from across the world.

Four Master of Education, Art of Teaching students completed and presented their capstone projects to the Education Department: Danielle Jackson, "Importance of Student Choice of Seating: Traditional Desks and Chairs and Flexible Seating Options," advised by Dr. Melissa Kamyab Danielle Wolk, "The Impact of an Attendance Mentor Program on Chronically Absent, Second-Fifth Grade Students," advised by Dr. Melissa Kamyab Victoria Lindenmuth, "How is Behavior and Teachers' Perceptions affected when Implementing Positive Reinforcement, Classroom Management Strategies Compared to Negative Reinforcement Classroom Management Strategies?," advised by Dr. Ivonne Miranda Allison Pierson, "Early Learning Educators' Perspectives of Administrative Supports: Retaining High Quality Educators," advised by Dr. Ivonne Miranda

Elyse Podgurski has assisted the Education Department Cedar Crest College with the following achievements: Designed and authored the Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 editions of the Education Department Newsletter Assisted the Office Manager in centralizing Education Department data using an MS Access database Updated promotional content for the digital signage in the Education Department hallway Created the promotional flyer and certificate for the Howard Klopp Exemplary Teacher Award Assisted faculty in compiling and reviewing data for out-of-state teaching certification requirements nationwide

Students in the MSN Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program recently presented posters at the St. Luke's 9th Annual Pulmonary and Critical Care Symposium held virtually in October. Senior NP students in Dr. Donna Martonik's class chose to present on the following current issues in healthcare: Emylio Cutiva BSN, RN, CCRN- Tele-ICU: Potential Benefits & Pragmatic Strategies; Shannon Dilger BSN, RN- The Psychological Impact of Pandemics on Health Care Workers; Sherry Evans BSN, RN, CCRN, PHRN- Development of the COACH (Clinical Observation and Critical Help) Nurse Program at Tower Health; Rianna Fornwalt BSN, RN, PCCN-ICU Delirium: Cause, Effect and Treatment; Sarah Kline BSN, RN-Benefits of Massage Therapy for Adult Patients in the Intensive Care Unit; Jennifer Lapp BSN, RN-Milrinone Treatment for Refractory Vasospasm Related to Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage; Janki Patel BSN, RN, CCRN-Intensive Glucose Control in Critically-Ill Patients; Brittany Zebro BSN, RN, CCRN- The Use of Multimodal Analgesia to Reduce Opioid Consumption in Surgical Patients.

Senior biology major Leslie Abreu and recent graduate Miranda Fetchen ('20) are co-authors on a research article published in the journal Environmental Entomology. The article, "Distribution, Survival, and Development of Spotted Lanternfly on Host Plants Found in North America" features a series of experiments that test the preference and suitability of potential host plants for the invasive spotted lanternfly. Miranda conducted one of these experiments in greenhouses on Cedar Crest Campus during the summer of 2018. Leslie worked for the US Department of Agriculture in the same year to conduct several experiments in the field. The findings will be used to make more informed pest management decisions for the spotted lanternfly.

Cedar Crest College Master of Forensic Science graduate student, Jane Berger, was the lead author on a manuscript entitled "Ultraviolet Absorption Properties of Synthetic Cathinones" which was just published in Forensic Chemistry, a leading peer-reviewed journal in forensic science. Also listed as authors: Dr. Marianne Staretz, Cedar Crest College Associate Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Matthew Wood, Director of the Ocean County (NJ) Sheriff's Department Forensic Laboratory, and Dr. Thomas Brettell, Cedar Crest College Professor of Chemistry. The publication can be accessed via the following link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1bx2Y8nCdIyn3A

On Saturday, October 17th, Felicia Kern (Nursing), Emily Krupski (Business), Karen Long (Business), and Glenna Weeks (Early Childhood Education) were inducted into the Delta Pi chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda. To be eligible for membership in Alpha Sigma Lambda, the national honor society for adult learners, students must have earned at least 24 graded credits and achieved a GPA in the top 20% of adult undergraduate students at the college.

At the 46th annual meeting of the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists held virtually from October 14-17, Cedar Crest College won 5 of 8 student awards. Considering everything that has happened this year, this is quite an accomplishment. The award and recipients are as follows: Kimberly Hane - Recipient of the George Neighbor Memorial Scholarship; Amber Rose - Recipient of the George Chin Memorial Scholarship; Kirsten Siegfried - Recipient of the Carol De Forest Research Grant (mentor-Lindsey Welch); Alexandra Arabio - Recipient of the Peter De Forest Research Award (undergraduate division) (mentors - James Hammer, Larry Quarino); Amber Rose - Recipient of the Peter De Forest Research Award (graduate division) (mentor - Thomas Brettell).

Bringing criminal justice professionals to campus and sponsoring activities for the well-being and entertainment of the campus community. President - Victoria Kohn VP - Adrian Mast Secretary - Treasurer - Zaria Berry

We are a club that studies the Bible and investigates the scriptures, to get to know Jesus and spend time in fellowship with each other. President - Megan Dougherty VP - Chelsea Tito Secretary - Valerie Van Boven Treasurer - Abigail Thompson

To educate about the importance and relevance of history and political science. President - Kendal Nichols VP - Carlie Gausch Secretary - Treasurer -

Enthuse about literature club. President - Shaylin Troiano VP - Secretary - Shaylin Troiano Treasurer - Nicky Gupta

Open to all students of Cedar Crest who are interesting in participating in volunteer opportunities and nutrition-related activities. President - Anna Rasmussen VP - Moriah Wiedemeier Secretary - Jennifer Santa Treasurer - Cassandra Ponce

To educate, host events, and spark interest in local and global environmental and sustainability issues. President - Kiera Shellhammer VP - Cassidy Niederland Secretary - Kassie Root Treasurer -Kaylyn Brindisi

President - Madisyn Yakscoe Vice President - Alivia Moore Secretary - Samantha Briskin Treasurer -

Psi Chi, an affiliate of the American Psychological Association and American Psychological Society, is the national honor society in psychology. It is open to students with either a major or minor in psychology who have completed at least three courses in the department, have a "B" average, and a cumulative average placing them in the upper third of their class. Lifetime membership is achieved through a formal installation by invitation and is held usually in the spring and fall. President - Mercury Waguespack Vice President - Melanie Paolini Secretary - Brenna Desborough Treasurer - Jennifer Schreiner